justasque
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Posts posted by justasque
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With the type of foods people are apt to nibble on and congregate around, a single table would be a disaster!
Yeah, I wondered about that too. Especially as the food offerings are limited - don't want a stampede, KWIM? Are there any teens who could be enlisted to walk around with platters?
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At my grocery store, store brand pre-shredded cheese is actually cheaper (and obviously more convenient) than block cheese.
Wow, interesting! It's *way* more expensive per pound at my local store. And there's a huge 2 lb store brand block'o'cheddar that's a really good deal - even better than the smaller blocks.
My main problem, though, is whenever I get the pre-shredded kind I end up choosing the one with a big hunk 'o' moldy cheese in the middle of the bag. :confused: No matter how much I check in the store, I always seem to choose the wrong one!
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You know, I've heard of "pot luck" weddings, and this situation sounds like it would work well that way.
Why not ask a few key people, who aren't in the wedding but who care for the couple, if they would like to bring a platter as their gift to the couple? The people are then freed from trying to figure out what the couple needs, gift-wise, and they can contribute something useful to the party. (Obviously, you'd want the couple's OK before going ahead with a plan like this!)
The bride's family can do the cake, you can do the drinks, and then you can have various fruit/veg/cheese/crackers platters, as plain or fancy as the givers wish. You'd want to know in advance what they plan to contribute, and you'd have to encourage them to keep it simple so as to avoid prep/heating issues and so as not to promote comparison between them. You'd have to be quite sensitive when asking, as you wouldn't want to pressure anyone and some folks might already have a special present in mind.
I know this approach is not for everyone, but for some guests it might be a welcome option. Many women like to share their entertaining skills by creating a nice platter, and no one would have the burden of feeding the whole crowd or doing all the night-before prep. Again, not the right solution for everyone, but something to consider.
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Years ago I saw an interview with some guy who wrote a book about all the things you could make in a coffee maker. I think he traveled a lot. I could never find the book, though.
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*Love* my rice cooker. I put rice in the bottom, then on the steamer I put a layer of spinach and then a layer of fish filets. I put a thin slice of lemon on each one. Sometimes I'll add diced tomato. If it's white rice, the fish is done at about the same time as the rice. Very easy meal, very healthy, low in calories. Plus, tastes fantastic! Shrimp also works.
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The third grader next door was over today, and was *amazed* to see my dd grating cheddar cheese onto her pasta. "Your shredded cheese is homemade?", she asked. Wow. Then I remembered that a friend of mine, a mom, was asking me all about the 2 lb block of cheddar we buy. I didn't quite get it, but now I'm wondering if she doesn't usually buy cheese this way either.
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The other question to ask is were there enough kids cut from the team to possibly make up another team? Yes, you would need a coach, etc., but a "JV" team can be a great "feeder" team for the existing team, and thus perhaps worth their effort to coordinate. Or of course you could be independent (pros and cons there). Is your team affiliated with a national group? If so, what are *their* rules for how things should be handled? I'm OK with cuts if the process is clear in advance, but this situation seems oddly handled.
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A house in my neighborhood exploded a few years back. (No one was home.) You did exactly the right thing. Good to know it wasn't more serious.
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Here's my menu:
Iced tea (simple to make - you don't actually have to boil the water - just let the teabags steep a while). Let folks sweeten it themselves. (Assuming there are no issues with caffeine in the family's cultural/religious beliefs/practices.)
Lemonade - very easy to make, and very tasty. 1 part lemon juice (the generic store brand of RealLemon is usually nice and also cheap), 1 part sugar, and 6 1/2 parts water. This makes a really good lemonade - I've had nothing but complements, especially from folks who are used to powdered or canned versions.
Ice water.
Wedding cake.
Platters of cheese slices (NOT those cubes - they are the wrong shape!), apple slices (a sweet variety and a tart variety), and crackers. Arrange pretty on the plate. Garnish with grapes, if desired. If you like, you could substitute good bread for the crackers, which is inexpensive if made at home or in a bread machine. It can be frozen before or after. If you do the bread, I'd add a bit of cream cheese as an option.
*If* the budget can swing it, platters of vegetables and dip. Martha Stewart's white bean dip is nice and super-easy and super-cheap. (I use a bit of lime juice rather than a bit of lemon juice.)
This menu is healthy, tasty, and relatively inexpensive. It's finger-food, so it can be eaten standing up if needed. On the whole, it's not messy and won't stain clothes. It can "loaves and fishes" somewhat, if you buy some extra; you can use what isn't eaten later if needed. (Freeze the cheese, for example.)
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I guess I would back up a bit and ask what is their vision for this reception.
For example, if they are envisioning an old-timey "piece of cake after the wedding" social event, then cake and water/punch is plenty, it should be served more-or-less immediately, and most folks will leave after a bit of chatting.
BUT - they are expecting dancing. So they're wanting folks to stick around a bit. Will there also be speeches, and garter removal, and bouquet throwing, and all of that? In other words, is this an event where the formal part will go on for quite some time, and folks will be expected to stay for all of that rather than just chat a bit then leave? And if so, will be food be served at the beginning, so folks can eat while observing all the festivities, or will the food be served after the speeches and such?
In the first example, I don't think you need a seat for everyone. It's a fairly short, say hi to the bride and her relatives, say hi to relatives and friends you haven't seen for a while, go home kind of thing. People will be circulating, they won't have to wait around for speeches, and so on.
BUT - if people are expected to stay while various speeches and other events happen before they can leave, then yes, I do think you need a chair for everyone, or at least most people. They don't all need tables I suppose - chairs around the perimeter of the room might do. But yes, expecting people to stand at an event that will last three hours is a bit much, IMHO.
<off to do a science experiment - will check back>
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My mom is a wedding planner.
86 the nuts. nuts=salt=thirst=more drinks consumed. I'd stick with veggie and fruit trays (you sound like you're trying to keep this simple). Honestly, if there isn't much food, people aren't going to stick around. They'll give the couple their well-wishes, say hi to the neighbors, and hop on over to Outback on their way home.
I would agree. If it were me, and I had to do it on a limited budget, I'd ditch the nuts (expensive, fatty, salty, allergy concerns), ditch the punch (nice if you can afford it but, depending on the punch, involves stain issues and it's basically just sugar water), serve ice water to drink, and have a variety of small (half-size) sandwiches and/or fruit/veg trays with the cake.
BUT it sounds like you don't have that option.
Are you supposed to prepare the food yourself (cut up fruit, etc.), or just purchase it ready-made? Do you have a budget to work within?
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There are 16 8 oz. cups in a gallon. 250 people at 2 cups per person would be 500 cups, which would be ~32 gallons. Again, I suggest offering ice water as well - this is a very sugar-y menu and not everyone can or wants to have that much sugar. It will also keep costs in check. In my experience a significant number of adults will choose water over punch, but this varies widely in different social groups. Will you be buying the punch ready-made, or making it yourself?
Will the fruit be a fruit salad type thing, or will it be fruit-on-toothpicks? Will you be prepping the fruit? That sounds like the bulk of the work. This is also where you have the most budget issues - will you be buying an assortment? Will you have the money for things like raspberries? Will you be mixing it all up or having individual fruits separately? Will you be using fresh or frozen?
Mixed nuts sounds like the easy part, in terms of serving and buying, but the hardest part to estimate consumption. On the one hand, most people don't want to over-indulge in nuts. On the other hand, there is not much else to choose from and if they left home at 1ish, they will be famished by 6. I really don't know what to suggest here - you could say 1/4 cup per person, in which case you're looking at 62.5 cups. 1/4 cup of nuts is about 175-200 calories.
BTW, I don't cater but I do entertain a lot, though not 250 at a time LOL!
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Are we talking new or used? I assumed used, but now I'm thinking you're asking about new? If you're looking at building a collection, used is the way to go, but then again a large set each Christmas from a young age will build you a great collection in no time flat. Add birthdays and Easter baskets and such and you'll be swimming in them. If you're just starting out, I'd consider a set that had several different items - like a town set that has a couple vehicles and a building, or something like that (if they make such a thing nowadays). Lego is two toys - building the initial model, then building your own creations. Building the model gives you ideas about construction that you can use in your own designs, so if you're buying in bulk you're missing out on this part.
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Looking a little closer at your post...
OK, so the wedding is at 2:00 - it will take about an hour? So the reception will be at about 3? Or will there be travel time and photos and such in between? It seems like the goal is to be finished before dinner time, but it might be cutting it a little close!
So cake, fruit, and mixed nuts. Hmmm. My initial concern is that it's not a whole lot of food. If it was just a little after the reception tea-ish thing, then that would be enough, but if there is dancing, then like you said people will be hungrier and thirstier, plus it will last longer.
What is the timing of the whole event? How far will the guests be traveling (to get there, and also between ceremony & reception)? How many people are we talking? What is the set-up - will there be tables? Buffet or people-with-trays or sit-down meal? (I once went to a wedding where we were expected to eat roast beef with gravy, standing up, with no utensils. In our best clothes. Ugh!) What resources will you have at the location (access to freezer for ice? access to fridge for storage?).
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Nigella Lawson says "never knowingly under-cater", which is my motto.
I usually overbuy, but with a good idea of what I will do with the leftovers. So for example leftover apple slices can become apple sauce, leftover hoagies can become a nice strata/breakfast casserole, leftover fruit can be frozen for smoothies, leftover pbj can be put in the freezer for lunches, and so on. (Not that you'll be serving these foods, but just as an idea of what you can do.) This works better with simply prepared foods.
I also think a variety is better than more of the same. So instead of 50 ham sandwiches, you could do 10 each of ham, pbj, turkey, egg salad, and cream cheese/jam. That way you people with diet issues can have choices - the peanut allergy kid can have the cream cheese/jam, the vegetarians have two or three choices, those who don't eat pork can have the turkey, and so on. That's probably too many choices, but you get the idea.
Don't forget to offer water as a drink choice. So many people are eating healthy these days and avoiding sugary drinks. You can have big pitchers of tap water with some ice in it - cheap and easy.
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It depends on the type of blocks. Expect to pay more for "interesting" blocks (spaceship parts, etc.) than for standard 2x4 blocks. Look at set prices vs. number of pieces, and do the math to get a sense of how much they cost new.
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Small zippered bag worn under her clothes at all times containing important phone numbers, passport or copy thereof, emergency cash (US & foreign) (not her "cash for the day", which should be somewhere else), cell phone (if possible), and itinerary.
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Dark Side of the Moon was extremely popular, some time before The Wall came out, so The Wall wasn't the catalyst for their popularity, if that makes sense. I think at one time DSotM was the biggest selling album of all time (or something like that). (Quick check at Wikipedia reveals it was on the charts for ~15 years!)
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If so, to which state?
It is looking more and more certain that we will be relocating in the spring. By the time we move, there will only be approx. 20 days left in our hs year. So I won't need to do the year-end reporting in our state since we'll be leaving, right?
If you're in PA, you *do*, in the PDE's opinion, have to file your end-of-year paperwork, basically to show that you were in compliance with the law during the school year. Your evaluator should be willing to do the evaluation before you have finished your 180 days. I would not submit a huge 3" binder of samples to the district - I'd do an abbreviated portfolio, and submit only a copy of it, so that you don't need to stress over getting it back. I'd also include a cover letter explaining that you are moving and won't be submitting an affidavit for the following year.
That's the short answer - a longer, more complex one is at my web site.
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It really depends on the two states you are talking about. Without knowing that, we won't be able to give you useful advice. :001_smile: Each state has their own specific laws, and your best bet is someone who lives in that state.
:iagree:
In some states, you don't need to report at all, ever. You really need to ask someone who knows the laws for your original state what you need to do to close out your program there, and someone who knows the laws for your new state about the beginning-of-year process in that state.
There may also be different choices in the new state to consider, as some states have several paths to homeschooling. In mine, Pennsylvania, I count ten paths, though some are less realistically viable than others, and of course one of the ten is underground homeschooling (which is not legal, but more widespread here than you'd think).
(The ten are: being too old or too young to fall under the compulsory attendance laws (and thus not reporting), establishing a home education program, being privately tutored, attending a church school, attending an umbrella school, enrolling in a public cyber-charter school, getting homebound instruction through the school district, being excluded under the immunization regulations, claiming a religious exemption under the Religious Freedom Protection Act, and homeschooling underground. The vast majority of independent PA homeschoolers establish a home education program; the number of public cyber-charter students is also substantial.)
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Christmas twinkle lights.
Ditto on the snacks for backpacks.
Pudding mix (microwavable)
A Halloween costume (or parts thereof)
Really, college kids don't need much, and don't have room for much, so it's not easy. :)
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I agree that the mw should call an ambulance. Don't the ambulance workers have some leeway to take a patient who doesn't want to go under the theory that they are not in a position to make good decisions? (E.g. head injuries, etc.?) I'm all for mom making informed decisions for her child's care, but in this case "informed" doesn't seem to apply?
:grouphug:
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I'm 36 and my mom still has me call her when my flight lands. I don't think it goes away. I think it's part of parenthood for some parents.
I'm *ahem* a tad older than 36, and my mom does the same thing. Whatever did parents do before cell phones?!
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I'd buy it. Have a great time on your get-away!
Another study that says vaccines do NOT cause autism...
in General Education Discussion Board
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:lol: